Islamabad, Sha'ban 27, 1437, Jun 3, 2016, SPA -- Pakistan's government on Friday increased defence spending by 11 per cent amid ongoing fighting with militants in the country's north-western tribal region. "The government has decided to increase the defence budget by 11 percent, from 776 billion rupees [7.4 billion dollars] to 860 billion," Finance Minister Ishaq Dar told parliament. According to dpa, the hike in the defence budget comes after neighbouring India increased its spending in the same sector by 9.7 percent in February. Pakistan launched a major operation in North Waziristan in 2014, which is set to be completed this year, according to army chief Raheel Sharif. The increase in military spending is part of the 4.4-trillion-rupee annual budget for the 2016-17 fiscal year starting July 1. --SPA 20:43 LOCAL TIME 17:43 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w